The Haft Tapeh Sugar Cane Mill was once a source of national pride, but since it was privatized in 2015, it has been struggling financially. Workers at the mill in Ahvaz, southwest Iran, have continued their protests for the fifth consecutive day. The workers say that not only have they not been paid since August, but they also want answers regarding the future of the industrial complex.

Bazaar merchants in a number of Iranian cities went on strike on November 5 to protest inflation and high prices, which are severely hampering people’s livelihoods, with calls to strike going out of social media in advance.

On social media, images and footage of closed shops in the Amin Bazaar in Tehran, the Aftab Mall in Gorgan, and across Tabriz, Babol, Roudsar, Saqez, and Baneh.

The US has now imposed on Iran the toughest sanctions ever, according to Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, with the main targets being individuals, aircraft, vessels, and organizations linked to the energy sector.

On Friday, they told reporters: “The US will add 700 individuals and companies to a list of blocked entities, 400 of which were not originally sanctioned before the Iran nuclear deal.”